Timeline of modern history (1950-1959)
(continues from years 1940-1949) 1950s: The Great World War 1950 *'The "Vernalization" miracle.' Despite a harsh winter, research tracts of land east of the Urals using the vernalization process record bumper harvests of up to 150%. The Workers' Republic of Vidalia is now in the midst of an economic boom, thanks to the new process. *'Canberra Treaty ends War of the Confederacy.' Signed between the Empire of the Rising Sun and the Atlantic Federation, the treaty stipulated that continental Asia was to be ceded to the Empire, but European settlers in Australia will be guaranteed the protection of the Emperor of Japan. The Empire in return recognises claims by the Atlantic Federation to Hawaii, Aotearoa and Tasmania. *'Vidalist riots rock Egypt'. Massive riots strike cities throughout the Iskandariyyah cantonment, with calls of "Down with feudalist superstition!" and "Long live Sheikh Vidal!" being the slogans of protestors. As a result thereof, spontaneous protests break out again throughout Damascus as Sunni and Shiite unite once more to call on the Caliph to restore order. *'Rise of the Nuclear Age'. In the middle of the Sahara desert, a team of Salviatian scientists - Dr Klaus Saubermann, Julius O Oppenheimer and Niels Bohr - finally manage to split the atom. Despite insistence from Oppenheimer that the power be used for peaceful uses, Bohr and Saubermann commence work on nuclear weapons research, otherwise known as Malluma Suna. The world is now concerned that Salviatia now has a powerful weapon of mass destruction. *'SI militarised.' Ibn Aman, head of TILSA, declares that Shabab lil-Ijtihad will also include weapons training and drills for male adolescent members (being wholly compulsory for all children in Jihadia), making the Jihadian youth movement into a paramilitary force "as part of imparting the glorious history and traditions of Ijtihad into Muslim youth". 1951 *'End of the Angolan War of Succession': A ceasefire is finally called in Luanda, and elections, overseen by Tapiocapolis, are carried out. A referendum selects João Mercurial, a Christian Democrat, as leader of the all-new Bolivarian State of Angola, much to protests from Vidalopol, Johannesburg and Damascus. *'James Bananius joins the KGV.' Now working as a private oil contractor in Libya, James Bananius is recruited by the KGV and sent along with 2 other agents by Vidalopol to Central Africa: Timo Moskvin; a colonel in the KGV; and Mahmoud Dariyan; an Iranian KGV operative. *'Outbreak of the Second Great War:' **'Riots in Middle East protesting Vidalian persecution.' News that Vidalians have closed down five clandestine surau''s throughout cities in Vidalia and executed 50 Muslim converts as "Jihadian secessionists" sparks riots that rock Baghdad, Mecca, Mosul and Ankara in February. Many of these riots are directed at the preceived incompetence of Jihadia in defending Muslims. **'Moroccan plane shot down over Aswan'. A military airplane is downed in Egypt by Jihadian murafiqeen forces fearing a Vidalian incursion, but investigation of the wreckage shows that the plane was of Salviatian make with Moroccan markings. The Salviatian ambassador to Jihadia, in Jaffa, Palestine, is given 72 hours to leave the country. **'Vidalian buildup of forces throughout the Caucasus'. TILSA operatives working with the Horde Secret Service report back to Damascus that Vidalian military forces are being built up in the Caucasus around the Black Sea region. Worried about another Vidalian invasion, Jihadia calls on the Federation for help. **'Julius Oppenheimer escapes to Turkey.' In a press conference on 28 September, Julius Oppenheimer, a dissident scientist from Salviatia escaped to Jihadia, reveals that Salviatia is trying to create weapons of mass destruction to conquer the world, and declares that he has revealed secrets of the manufacture of such missiles and given details of Salviatia's nuclear programme to TILSA. **'Salviatian troops occupy Bosporus. Franz-Heinrichsstadt orders that the rogue scientist be extradited back, but when no response is heard from the Jihadians, Salviatian troops and armies based in the Balkans immediately enter Greece and cross the Bosporus into Turkey, and capture Istanbul by nightfall on 9 October. **'''Vidalia invades Turkey. Simultaneously, the Black Fleet based in the Crimea immediately mobilises, and an invasion force of 70,000 lands on the northern shores of Turkey, taking Konya by 14 October. It is clear that the intent of Vidalia and Salviatia is to capture Oppenheimer, but the Caliphal Army smuggles him out on an old fishing vessel to Egypt, where he arrives by 21 October. 1952 *'Second Great War:' **'Vidalian forces capture Tehran'. Vidalian tanks roll unopposed into Tehran on 2 February. **'Battle of Inçirlik.' Moving further into the mountains, Salviatian troops are surprised by an ambush by Jihadian guerillas. Although they cause massive casualties, Jihadian forces are compelled by the overwhelming numbers of the Salviatian defenders to escape further into the Taurus mountains, after 1 week of fighting. **'Political crises.' The prospect of an enlarged Vidalist state destablising world politics is one that does not sit well with OGRE, or the Oceania General Retailers' Executive, which replaced the GRO in previous years. Ottawa decides to call upon India and her masters in Tentai-Zu to lend a hand. Permission is given by Tentai-Zu to Ottawa to do so on 26 February. The same situation of worry dominates Vidalopol as Red Army advisors attempt to find a way to capture Oppenheimer and avoid an all-out war with Salviatia, which now possesses the V-II missile technology. **'Jihadian leadership moves to Sana'a and Kabul'. Knowing that to fight both Salviatia and Vidalia head-on would be a grievious mistake, Emir Abu Nuhass, field-marshall of the Murafiqeen-l' Ummah, suggests splitting the nation into two command areas: the Arabian theatre with command in Sana'a, and another command centre in Kabul, where TILSA and the Deir will be moved to. The Caliph agrees to the plan, knowing that Vidalian and Salviatian forces may fight one another for custody of Oppenheimer. 1953 *'Second Great War:' **'Formation of the Frisian League.' Quisling, de Kop and Delrouel form the Frisian League, a semi-autonomous confederation of European regencies within the Greater Salviatian Staat. **'Caliphal government arrives at Kabul'. Thanks to Abu Nuhass' Fabian strategy, the Jihadian government safely arrives in a heavily fortified Kabul at the beginning of the year, but the Caliph immediately falls ill. Wahhab ibn Aman az-Zarqa, head of TILSA's security forces, immediately declares himself the Caliph's Na'ib or representative despite opposition from the 10-man Deir. **'The AF and ESL intervene in the war'. At talks with TILSA operatives, representatives from FRAT, ethnic Armenian Horde fighters and Imperial dignitaries hosted by the Dalai Lama in Lhasa, it is agreed that India and Jihadia will cooperate again on resisting Vidalian aggression in the Middle East, with funds provided by the Atlantic Federation and military access through the now-thawing North Pole covered by colonel Monika Haykovan, a female Horde military leader bribed by the Federation. **'James Bananius arrives in Central Africa on 5 May'. It is at this time that Vidalia announces its own nuclear programme and a new weapon: radioactive missiles. While Vidalia now has Dr Oppenheimer under custody, the Workers' Arsenals Commission has yet to create a working nuclear bomb, but begin production of the new missiles for use against Salviatian forces in Turkey. **'Vidalian Red Army captures Sweden'. Fighting from Vidalian Karelia, the Ural Workers' Liberation Forces and the Red Navy invade Scandinavia in Operation Perkkele. Crossing the border on 8 May, eastern Scandinavia falls to Vidalian forces on 19 June. The royal family of Sweden, House Bernadotte, is captured and taken back to Vidalopol; the disgraced president of Sverigefolksdemokraterna (the Swedish chapter of Vorwärts!), Argus Bokuslare, commits suicide and his remaining forces are withdrawn across the Baltic to reinforce Denmark. **'Battle of Sinope.' Salviatian and Vidalian tanks clash near the harbour of Sinope. Despite suffering heavy casualties, Vidalian forces finally take Sinope, rolling back the Salviatian defence lines and reducing the Salviatian presence to Cyprus, Lesbos and Istanbul. Turkey is now practically in Vidalian hands. **'Vidalian forces now control eastern Anatolia and Iran', and begin the Battle of Damascus. Street fighting amongst Jihadian forces led by the Caliphal Guard and Vidalian Black Navy Marines devastate the city, but the Caliphal Guard is exterminated to a man in over 5 months. Almost no Jihadians survive the battle, and Mesopotamia is now Vidalian territory effective 28 June. **'1st Battle of Vidalopol'. On 1 July, Federal warplanes bombard Vidalopol, destroying munitions factories producing the new radioactive missiles the Vidalian government previously boasted about, causing massive casualties. Sources from the European Brotherhood soon indicate that among the dead was Julius Robert Oppenheimer. **'The Marazov Brigade attacks.' Armed by Federal agents through SAO sponsors, the Indian-trained and Jihadian-recruited Marazov Brigade attacks eastern Iran, pushing back Vidalian forces to Tehran by winter. **'Moroccan forces land in Haifa.' Despite protests from Kabul, the new capital of Jihadia, a joint Salviatian-Moroccan force beaches at Haifa, and proceeds to retake Syria, reaching the Taurus mountains by 1 October. Unfortunately, the road to Syria is rife with Jihadian bandits and rebels who do not want the Moroccans, and the invasion force from Palestine kills more Jihadians than Vidalians, given that most Vidalian forces had vacated Syria. **'2nd Battle of Vidalopol': Despite a massive bombing raid by Federal aircraft, a naval bombardment of Vidalopol instead becomes a nightmare as the Vidalians' Arctic fleet destroy the Federal armada, capturing a submarine and two aircraft carriers on 9 October. **'Ibn Aman's religious reforms.' In the main Jihadian fortress of Kabul, Ibn Aman, the Na'ib to the Caliph, declares that the Caliphate's religion is now known as "Islam Jihadia"; or "Jihadist Islam". This policy states that it is every Muslim's duty to slay the infidel and give no quarter to any who resist Jihadian forces or harm Muslims, regardless. The youth SI movement is now elevated to the status of an auxiliary corps within the Murafiqeen, Jihadia's law enforcement and military force. **'Battle of Tannenberg.' Heartened by results in Scandinavia and Turkey, Vidalian forces invade en masse in Poland. They manage to reunite Poland together, but are repulsed by Salviatian forces in a fighting retreat at Tannenberg. **'Rise of James Bananius'. At this point, riots occur throughout Central African territories garrisoned by South African forces, and a coup forces Mercurial in Angola to flee to South America. A provisional government is created to be administered by the Bananius-Moskvin-Dariyan troika, and a Vidalist government under Jonas Savimbi is installed in Luanda. 1954 *'Second Great War:' **'Assault on Mosul.' Vidalians are rolled back as Salviatian forces, aided by Moroccan infantry and dissident remnants of the Jihadian Murafiqeen, take Mosul. **'End of the war:' ***'Cairo Conference'. By the end of February, all sides are willing to make peace. At the Cairo Conference, the following terms are agreed to unanimously: ****'Arctic Circle divided.' The Arctic Circle is divided up into spheres of influence for Vidalia, the Horde, Salviatia and the Federation. Greenland is divided into 3 different sectors. ****'Jihadia restored.' All lands taken by Salviatia and Vidalia in the Middle East are to be returned back to Jihadia; North Africa is to be demilitarised and set up as a buffer zone between Jihadia and the Moroccan sultanate. ****'Vidalia accepts part of eastern Sweden.' Lappland is appended to Vidalia, but the rest of the devastated country is to be placed under Salviatian military administration, joining former France, Iberia and Padania as areas making up the Staat (Norway and the Low Countries remain nominally autonomous in the Frisian League within Salviatia). Salviatia is now a land mass that now covers the whole of Europe from the Atlantic to the Carpathians. ****'Asia and the Middle East divided into spheres. '''Horde territory is acknoweldged by all other powers to be the natural sphere of Vidalian influence; the Middle East as the Jihadian one and west Africa as the Salviatian sphere, which may not be violated by any other faction. ***'Celebrations throughout the world.' Despite the inconclusiveness of the war, all capitals immediately declare victory, but it is now clear that Vidalia, Salviatia and the Atlantic Federation are now the dominant powers. 1955 *'Insurrection in south-west Africa.' South African troops clash with Angolan Vidalist forces near the Namib in several occasions throughout the year. *'Secret talks between Vidalian and Bolivarian diplomats in Sebastopol', regarding Angola and the relations of the two powers to the Atlantic Federation. 1956 *'Creation of apartheid state'. On 8 January, Ter Jonge, South Africa's president, declares a state of emergency and so-called "apartheid" laws, which restrict the rights and movement of South Africa's ethnic blacks, citing that further unrest in Africa was being created by cross-border collaborations between ethnic black Africans required the curtailing of blacks' rights as a matter of national security. 1957 Events in Africa *'Vidalist agents 'liberate' Kampala.' A Vidalist revolution breaks out and the Vidalist Republic of bUganda is formed, but is put down with the help of South African troops and mercenaries from the Islamic imamates to the east and Salviatian agents. 1960s: Deus ex Bananii 1961 *'Vidalist Republic of Central Africa is established.' After 2 months of heavy fighting in Tanzania, South African forces are finally beaten after a second insurrection in bUganda, and make a retreat. Vidalian forces working in cooperation with Vidalist Central Africa attempt to seize former South African protectorates, but are bogged down fighting the Lord's Resistance Army. By this point, Vidalist Central Africa, while having its own elected legislature, remains a ward of Vidalia in Africa directed by the Bananius-Moskvin-Dariyan troika. *'Jihadian agents assassinate Timo Moskvin.' Moskvin is killed by a bomb during a victory parade in Dar es Salaam. As retaliation, Jihadia launches its own missile strike at northern Iran and Kabul, killing 24 in May. *'Civil unrest in Vidalia.' Lawlessness runs rampant in Vidalgrad as workers go on strike demanding better working conditions. As always, Vidalia crushes the workers brutually and blames the European Brotherhood for "spreading hatred and lies among citizens." 5 people are apprehended, forced to confess to being recruited by the Federation to destablilise the Revolution and are subsequently executed. 1963 *'Civil war in Central Africa.' A 3-way civil war breaks out as Bananius directs his own forces to apprehend Mahmoud Dariyan, but instead causes a war between him and his own private army, Mahmoud Dariyan's KGV-trained army and the Lord's Resistance Army. Dariyan attempts to escape during the end of the year, but was cut down while traversing Eritrea. *'Religious unrest in Africa.' Unfortunately for Jihadia, not everyone is impressed with Jihadia's new ideology, and uprisings occur in Tripoli and Asmara as Shiites start a rebellion. 1964 *'United Kingdom of Trans-Sahelia established'. Bananius, being the sole authority left in the remnants of Vidalist Central Africa, abolishes the People's Assemblies and abrogates power, declaring himself King James. A treaty is signed in Dar es Salaam later that year with Jihadia, but the battle is far from over.... *'Coup in Jihadia.' Ibn Aman, head secretary of TILSA, displaces Abu Nuhass as the head of the Murafiqeen. He subsequently manipulates the Caliph, still reputedly unwell, to move the seat of power to Baghdad, and unite the Murafiqeen, the SI and TILSA into a new body called "Jundullah" or "God's Army", with him as Grand Mufti of Baghdad "for the defence of Jihadist Islam, against all infidels." Shiite shrines are padlocked and homage or veneration therein are forbidden to any Muslims, while new rules stipulate that all have to enter the army at the age of 13. 1966 *'Guinea captured by Bolivarian Republic'. With arms and other perks from Vidalia, a joint force led by Bolivarian military officials and KGV agents occupy Conarky, but barely 3 months before they strike, the Lord's Resistance Army launches another insurrection, intent on bringing down the occupying force. *'Atlantic Federation declares war on Vidalia.' Claiming that Vidalian artillery missiles are currently aimed at their territory in the North Pole, the Atlantic Federation formally declares war. While previously Vidalian agents had been paying Horde factions to harass Federal shipping, this new act results in the formal breaking of ties between the two states. *'Anti-Federation demonstrations.' Throughout the Workers' Republic, mass rallies and demonstrations break out in major Vidalian cities, calling upon Vidalians to "crush the obscurantist conspiracy" and "bring revolution to North America." The Federal Service in a press statement dismisses the rallies as government-induced demonstrations that "do not in any way represent the true will of the Vidalian slaves." 1968 *'Terror attacks in Salviatia and Vidalia.' Workers' strikes break out in the Salviatian city of Bremen, bringing work to a standstill. When Feldgendarmerie are sent to break up the strikes, several explosions and sniper attacks occur, raking the Feldgendarmerie and felling 15. The whole of Bremen becomes a war zone as Feldgendarmerie and forces affiliated with the European Brotherhood take place, but the uprising is out down. Similarly, the European Brotherhood also state uprisings to protest rises in prices of food and fuel throughout cities in Vidalian-occupied Sweden, but these are put down brutally by Vidalian tanks being driven over protestors. *'The De Klerk scandal.' News reports by the Federation shed light on dealing between Salviatia and the South African Republic, revealing that Salviatian agents have been discussing a formal alliance and war with Angola with Willem de Klerk, the president of South Africa. When confronted with the news, de Klerk immediately states that he would like to see South Africa allied with Salviatia, given that Vidalian agents have been secretly supplying aid and military training to Angola's army. At this time, Salviatia begins to double the guard in Poland against Vidalia. 1970s: Peace Never Had a Chance 1970 *'Relations between Vidalia and Salviatia are strained''' upon the revelation that Salviatian agents have been sent into the Republic of South Africa.